


Darkness

by Coilerfan35



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: Angst, Drama, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-06-01
Updated: 2012-06-01
Packaged: 2017-11-06 11:33:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,449
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/418426
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Coilerfan35/pseuds/Coilerfan35
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Tenzin...I can't see."</p>
            </blockquote>





	Darkness

Her eyes closed decisively as her feet pressed into the warehouse's metal ground below her and her seismic sensing resonated off nothing put air. Months after revealing Sato's intentions, she was still searching for her metalbenders, and Amon barely seemed to exist as he sat back and watched the city scramble. She knew they couldn't have gone far, and she knew that Amon was using them to bait her closer, but she was determined, and she was ready.

Huffing, she straightened her stance before she slammed her foot into the ground and kicked away a large slab of metal that pried itself free from her touch. Looking down into the tunnel below, she remembered fighting under the Sato estate, and hesitated at the thought of going against Hiroshi's platinum mechanisms again, but nonetheless, she was determined to charge forward. Somewhere, even if it wasn't here, her men were waiting, and she was set on doing everything in her power to bring them home, with their bending intact.

Crouching on the edge of the tunnel, she stilled, but refused to look over her shoulder as she felt his all-too-familiar pulse through the ground. Sighing, she shook her head, and waved her hand dismissively through the air before he was able to speak and explain himself. "Save it, Tenzin. You know I won't listen."

"I'm more than aware of your selective hearing," Tenzin sighed, his grey blue eyes faded and lined with shadows that betrayed his fatigue. "I'm not here to talk you out of going down there. I'm here to help you."

"You don't need to be pulled into this more than you already are," Lin hissed, her hands clenching before she bent the metal floor that sloped into the tunnel, around her feet. "Go home. I'm sure Pema is worried."

"Pema understands," he argued, reaching forward and grabbing at his past lover's wrist. Watching as her shimmering green eyes filled with fire, he released his hold on her, but remained resolute. "I have a duty to this city, and to her people, just like you do. I was there when your men were taken, Lin. I should be the one by your side as you fight to bring them home."

Sighing, she turned her gaze away from him, and clenched her eyes shut as she tried pushing away the feeling that always materialized when he was around. Spitting fiercely, she shrugged and threw her words carelessly over her shoulder. "Fine. Do what you want."

"Lin," Tenzin tried to mutter out, but his lips remained closed as he watched her bend her knees and propel herself down the tunnel. His tattooed hand tightened around his glider, but the air around him felt weak. There was no doubt within the airbender that he still cared deeply for her, even if the vivid memories of their past presented tension, but as of recently he could barely keep up with her. She was always moving, always bending, always fighting for something, while he chose to remain light. He was a child of the air, and found his solace above the conflict, while she was a prodigy of earth, and couldn't live without a fight. As her element, she always stood sturdy, and rooted in her beliefs, and as he sailed upon his glider after her, he couldn't keep his heart from clenching as he saw her younger self still breathing within her.

Catching up with her was tough, but once he did, they both sailed down the tunnel side by side; Lin set in a determined line, while Tenzin wove himself around her. Glancing to his side, he caught sight of her gaze, and her searing emerald irises dug a deeper hole into his heart when he realized that they no longer held the happiness she felt in childhood. Instead, they were darkened with a need for vengeance, and an insatiable blood lust for the man who was wreaking havoc on her city.

She was angry, and Tenzin knew that her anger wasn't just for Amon.

Landing lightly at the end of the sloped tunnel, the metal around Lin's feet fell, and she walked forward without waiting for Tenzin to land beside her. Energy focused through her feet, she sensed the world around her, but growled when all she could hear was Tenzin's strong heartbeat. Stomping her foot into the metal ground, her concentration returned, and her vision of the world around them came back to her in full force. Standing from her crouched stance, she narrowed her eyes as she looked down the darkened hallway, and childishly bit down on her lower lip as a look of worry passed over her features.

Catching the nervous act, Tenzin attempted to move closer to her, but the second his foot left the ground, two chi-blockers materialized from the shadows before them and lunged for his off-centered body. Growling, Lin bent rock in front of the blocker headed for Tenzin, and shot out her cables in the direction of the man running towards her. As expected, the chi-blockers easily dodged her attacks, but she had managed to give Tenzin time to react to the situation and face his man.

Confined in such a small space, evasive maneuvers were hard, but Lin's fury poured forth as she stomped and punched slabs of earth in every direction. Metal cables sliced at skin, defensive strikes stopped electrified kali sticks, and raw kicks sent bodies flying away from her. Beside her, she could feel the air move, and out of the corner of her eye, she watched as Tenzin sailed around his enemies, and launched them down the darkened hall with strong gusts of wind. His red and yellow tunic snapped fiercely around him, and a look of stoic determination took over his face that reminded her so much of Aang.

Huffing in pain, she turned her attention back to chi-blocker, and grunted as he kicked her feet out from under her and poised a strike aiming for her neck. Throwing her arm up, a slab of earth uprooted him, and she swung to her feet before she lashed out at him with her cables. Hearing metal clash with metal, she knew she didn't grab her Equalist, but as she looked around she couldn't see the chi-blocker anywhere. Taking in a deep breath, she raised her foot and attempted to sense the world around her, but instead, Tenzin's enemy threw cables around her feet, and her own opponent jumped down on her and threw a silvery powder into her face.

Instantly, her eyes closed, and her lips parted as a howl of pain echoed through the underground lair. The two chi-blockers, successful in their mission, retreated into the far reaches of the labyrinth, leaving Tenzin breathless and horrified as Lin's screams echoed in his ears. Frozen in fear, he watched as her hands rubbed and clawed at her eyes, and felt as the earth vibrated from her agony.

"Lin!" Tenzin yelled, finally rushing to her side and cradling her head in his hand. "Lin…what..wha-I.."

Tears slipped from her clenched eyes, and in the darkened hall, Tenzin was unable to see the unnatural pink tint that hung within the drops, but she knew something was wrong. Her throat went raw from her cries, and Tenzin held her tightly to him as she fought through the pain and allowed her tears to wash away whatever substance had been used against her.

Terrified and unsure what to do, the airbender waited, and held Lin as her shaky hands pushed her up and she sat before him. Wistfully, he rested his palm against her cheek, and held onto her until the tremors subsided from her body, and her tears had run as far as to dampen his wrist. Crying from his terror, he whispered her name, and moved to hold her hand, but when he did, she recoiled, and acted as if he had just hit her.

Weakly, she managed to open her eyes, but he couldn't see them well through the darkness, and he simply brushed his thumb against her cheek to push away the tears that remained. Gasping, she touched the ground around her, before her fingers rose to feel the contours of Tenzin's face. Unsure of what she was doing, he softly grasped her wrist, and placed a fleeting kiss below her palm to calm her, before he opened his mouth to speak.

"What are you doing? Is everything okay? Are you okay?"

Shaking her head, more of her tears managed to push themselves to the surface as she glanced around and attempted to see through the oppressing darkness around her.

"Lin, answer me."

"Tenzin…I can't see."


End file.
